The present invention generally relates to ink-jet ink delivery systems and, more particularly, to the packaging and moisture sealing of such systems.
On previous ink-jet print cartridges, prior to the cartridges being filled with ink, the nozzles were sealed by a tape and a card tab attachment located on the free end of the tape. Before installing the print cartridge in a printer, the tape was actively removed by the customer by pulling the tab. These were xe2x80x9cactivexe2x80x9d designs in that they required the customer to recognize that there was a sealing tape that had to be removed and then to do so.
To prevent moisture loss during storage, previous print cartridges were also sealed with pouch film. Like the tab and tape, the pouch film was removed by the customer prior to installation of the print cartridge in the printer.
While these sealing techniques were satisfactory, there is a history of customers inserting print cartridges into printers without removing the tape that sealed the nozzles. This oversight caused some customer frustration when the printer did not operate but was easily solved by either removing the tape or replacing the print cartridge.
Recent improvements in ink-jet technology have resulted in the development of moving print heads, a stationary ink reservoir, and flexible fluid interconnects attached between the print heads and the ink reservoir. The stationary ink reservoir contains one or more inks of various hues. The flexible fluid interconnects attach to the ink reservoir at one or more fluid orifices; these orifices are sealed prior to filling the reservoir with ink.
On these newer systems it is possible to install a replacement ink reservoir in a printer without having removed the orifice seal. If the orifice seal is not removed, there is enough ink remaining in the the print head so that the printer can begin printing when commanded. The print head will soon exhaust the ink in the system and will fill up with air. Once the print head is filled with air, the printer will stop, the print head can not be refilled with ink, and the print head must be replaced. In a color printer, most likely all four costly print heads will need to be replaced. The result is a major warrantee expense to the manufacturer for this customer oversight.
It will be apparent from the foregoing that although there are many techniques for sealing ink-jet ink delivery systems, there is still a need for a simple approach that insures that the seals are removed from the system by the customer prior to installation of the product in a printer.
Briefly and in general terms, a package assembly for an ink-jet ink reservoir according to the invention includes an ink-jet ink reservoir having a fluid orifice, a label removably and adhesively bonded to the reservoir that seals the orifice, and pouch material bonded to the label, forming a package around the reservoir.
Another aspect of the invention is a laminate label having a layer of adhesive, removably bondable to an ink-jet ink reservoir; a layer of polyester film on one side of which the adhesive layer is coated; a layer of laminating film on the other side of the polyester film; a layer of aluminum foil, one side of the aluminum foil being bonded to the polyester film by the laminating film; a layer of laminating adhesive; and a polyethylene heat seal film, the other side of the aluminum foil being bonded to the heat seal film by said laminating adhesive.
In operation, the invention contemplates removing a label from an ink-jet ink reservoir by removing a pouch that contains the reservoir, raising one end of the label from the reservoir by removing the pouch, applying a shear force between the pouch and the label, and applying a tension force between the label and the reservoir.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.